Laura Sanders

Laura Sanders

Senior Writer, Neuroscience

Laura Sanders reports on neuroscience for Science News. She wrote Growth Curve, a blog about the science of raising kids, from 2013 to 2019 and continues to write about child development and parenting from time to time. She earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, where she studied the nerve cells that compel a fruit fly to perform a dazzling mating dance. Convinced that she was missing some exciting science somewhere, Laura turned her eye toward writing about brains in all shapes and forms. She holds undergraduate degrees in creative writing and biology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, where she was a National Merit Scholar. Growth Curve, her 2012 series on consciousness and her 2013 article on the dearth of psychiatric drugs have received awards recognizing editorial excellence.

All Stories by Laura Sanders

  1. Psychology

    Big ears don’t necessarily come with baggage

    In a small study, adults judged children and teens with big ears as intelligent and likable.

  2. Neuroscience

    Being watched can boost productivity

    In the company of another, a monkey steps up production on a simple job.

  3. Neuroscience

    When brain’s GPS goes awry, barriers can reboot it

    Brain’s internal map self-corrects when it hits a (literal) wall.

  4. Neuroscience

    Nicotine exposure escalates rats’ desire for alcohol

    Rats drink more alcohol after they’ve been hooked on nicotine.

  5. Neuroscience

    Year in review: Memories vulnerable to manipulation

    New experimental results in 2014 helped bring scientists closer to understanding how the brain manipulates memories to make sense of the world.

  6. Neuroscience

    Year in review: Young blood aids old brains

    Ingredients in young blood can rejuvenate old mice’s bodies and brains, scientists reported in 2014.

  7. Health & Medicine

    The kids will be all right

    Children are generally as resilient as adults when it comes to acute trauma, and studies suggest that a little stress and exercise might help kids cope with disasters.

  8. Health & Medicine

    Moms are more likely than dads to chat with newborns

    Even when fathers are around, mothers tend to talk to their babies more and respond to infants’ vocalizations.

  9. Neuroscience

    At-home brain stimulation gaining followers

    People are building at-home electric brain stimulators in hopes of becoming better gamers, problem solvers, and even to beat back depression.

  10. Neuroscience

    Brain difference found in people with chronic fatigue

    Abnormality found in the brains of a small number of people with chronic fatigue syndrome is intriguing, but needs to be confirmed with more patients.

  11. Health & Medicine

    There’s no need to panic about enterovirus

    The enterovirus behind this year’s outbreak, EV-D68, has been around for decades and generally causes mild symptoms.

  12. Science & Society

    Nobels go to maps, LEDs, microscopy

    The 2014 Nobel Prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine went to discoveries that defy single-discipline labels.